Internships

Job Opportunities Freelancing Networking Volunteering

Internships and Job Opportunities
Check out the bulletin board in Zeis for the most recent job postings or contact a New Media faculty member if interested in becoming an intern. Internships are one of the best ways to start networking and building up work experience that will lead to better career opportunities down the road.

Examples of past UNCA NM internships include:
Disneyland Intern
3D Printing Intern
Website Development
Advertising
Undergraduate Research (unpaid)

Campus Resources
The UNCA Career Center is an available resource for students seeking local job opportunities or career planning advice. They can probably help out with individual cases better than we can. There is also the campus job search portal RockyLink, found by logging in to Oneport.
https://career.unca.edu/

The New Media Department is looking for tutors. Contact the OneStop office if interested. The payment is a set rate for the entire semester, and tutors are required to schedule at least one hour each week in the labs to help students with software problems.

Recommended campus jobs for New Media majors: Media Design Lab Assistant, Library Assistant, Lab Monitor, IT Assistant, SAIL Graphic Designer

The Disney College Program. Talk to Christopher Oakley or Adam Bryant for more info.
http://cp.disneycareers.com/en/about-disney-college-program/overview/

Job Search Resources
This is a fairly useful site where you can quickly find salaries, details about the interview process, and reviews from actual employees in various New Media-related industry jobs.
https://www.glassdoor.com/index.htm

Our Careers page has a breakdown of New Media-specific job stuff and a list of sample workplaces or options for grad school. There are a bunch of links to the homepages of some of the top companies in the industry today, which can be helpful for getting a better picture of what employers are looking for when hiring. Even if you don't start out working for one of these places right after college, it never hurts to know the current conditions of the industry and freelance job market, especially with competition and production standards being what they are.
Careers Page
Studios Page

Freelancing
NewMAC often gets graphic design, website, photography, sound editing, and video commissions from around campus, and we don't always have the time or the right skills to answer all these requests. If you are looking for freelance work, send Tina McCants or NewMAC your contact info and a list of the types of commissions you might be interested in. We'll try to notify you if anything comes up. There's no obligations to take any job suggestions you don't want.

Campus Commissions
*note- not all listed commissions are necessarily paid or high-paying jobs

NM Exhibition Posters- Promotional posters, flyers, video, and/or graphic designs needed for advertising the 2017 New Media Juried Exhibition. Contact Lei Han, Tina McCants, Sean Singer, or the NewMAC treasurer to discuss ideas and payment. Ideally we would like the designs sometime before February to allow extra time for preparing the show. Dimensions and image quality should work for a printing size of at least 18 inches. Please send in the source files as well.
IEEE Website- Word on the street is that the Engineering Department is looking around for people to create logos and a website for their student org, IEEE. Payment status unknown.
Sci-fi Art- John Fleurant (devotedknight@yahoo.com) is paying cash for science fiction art. Further details can be found on the bulletin board in Zeis
Art Prints- Ramsey Library's Argo Tea is looking for student prints and photos to frame on the walls to help liven the place up a little. The offer doesn't appear to be paid, but you might be able to sell work if attach a price tag or contact
Menu Infographics- The Dining Hall is looking for menu infographic designs, in exchange for free meal coupons
Music Collaborations- The Music Department has frequent need for poster designs, advertising, flyers, logos, show videographers, and music videos
Paid Advertising Positions- Blue Echo, Blue Banner, Underdog Productions, and SAIL are university-endorsed student organizations, and they receive special funding that can usually be used towards paid graphic design and video positions.
Artist Collaborations- Art students are in the same boat as New Media students since they also have to sell artwork after college. Some of them might be willing to commission a website or split the rent on a studio space in the River Arts District. Contact ArtFront or the Art Department if interested.
NMAC- The New Media Arts Council always welcomes any type of graphic design work, web design, animation, video, etc. We aren't really allowed to use our funds to pay students for designs made for NewMAC or the website, but if it is something useful to the entire New Media department than we might be able to persuade UNCA administration to make an exception.

If none of these on-campus commissions are quite what you are looking for, there are tons of websites and independent studios that post updates on professional freelance jobs openings 24-7. Check out the Careers or Resources pages for some options, or just try Googling freelance jobs.

Online

Twine- Twine.fm is a music website that has a lot of people looking for music and video collaborations. There are probably better rates out there as most of the payment offers are a little low, but ocassionally there are a few offers in the $250+ range. The advantage of this site is that there aren't any exclusive experience restrictions like on most professional freelance websites.
99designs- 99designs is a freelancing site where designers compete against other designers to create a commission piece. The prices are often very good, but you only get paid if your design is picked and the competition is pretty tough. This site is also not limited to exclusive membership or experience
Articles- Smashing Magazine and Photoshop Tutorials are just a few design related websites out there that pay for article submissions. The average price range to look for when scouting sites is somewhere between $50-150 per article or tutorial, depending on the length and quality. Fixed cost payments will pay somewhere around $1-$2 a month, but the rate is a continuous source of income if you write a lot of articles
Forums- Polycount, 3DTotal, CGSociety, and other forum websites are good places to find people wanting to collaborate on digital projects
11 Second Club- 11 Second Club is probably the best known monthly web contest for animators. Winners don't get paid, but they do recognition and get certain perks like an exclusive interview or portfolio critique with professionals from the animation industry. Recognition is probably more valuable than money.
Portfolios and Online Stores- Creating your own website or setting up a store through an established marketplace will allow you to sell your stuff directly. To reach the largest audience, self-advertising and links on social media are recommended.

Digital Artwork Commission
NewMAC would like to add some more art and interactive elements to make this site a little more visually interesting. We're looking for high-resolution, horizontal layout designs or photos that can be featured on the Home page, as well as simple animated gifs or logos that would bring some life to the site. We also would like to print and frame artwork in the New Media labs. All contributions will be accredited, and maybe some form of compensation can be agreed upon for certain NM branding designs.

Wishlist

Widescreen banner images (see Home Page)
Stock Photos and Photos of Artwork
Animated intro title sequence for YouTube Tutorial Series
Vector icons representing the NM concentrations
New Media T-Shirt Design
Student Exhibition Posters and Flyers
Website Optimization
Fun infographics, any subject relating to NM.
Interactive studio map of NC or the USA
Tutorial videos, any subject
Guest Speaker videographer/photographer
Videos covering Department Equipment use and Lab Etiquitte
Logos for NM Student Workshops, Movie Nights, Alltober, Up All Night, and other events
Newsletter Cover Design
Senior Capstone Flyer Design
Hidden Website Easter eggs

Volunteering
*Note to student org members: Don't forget to log hours with KeyConnect.

New Media Exhibition Setups
         Contact: nmac.unca@gmail.com

ArtFront Juried Exhibition Setup
         Contact: artfrontunca@gmail.com

The Media Arts Project
         Contact: The Media Arts Project Website

American Red Cross
         Contact: http://www.redcross.org/local/western-north-carolina

MANNA Food Bank
         Contact: https://www.mannafoodbank.org/

Habitat for Humanity
         Contact: https://www.ashevillehabitat.org/

Brother Wolf Animal Rescue
         Contact: http://www.bwar.org/

Martin Luther King Day
         Contact: https://keyconnect.unca.edu/aem/general/event/?doc_id=1668

Earth Day
         Contact: http://www.earthday.org/

Asheville Area Arts Council
         Contact: http://ashevillearts.com/support/volunteer/

Western North Carolina Film Commission
         Contact: https://www.facebook.com/Western-North-Carolina-Film-Commission-149458481755996/

Additional Volunteering Opportunities
         Contact: https://keycenter.unca.edu/
                       https://mountainx.com/volunteering/
                       volunteer@ashevillenc.gov